• The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 69.17 points, or 0.33 percent, to 20,855.59, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 5.41 points, or 0.23 percent, to 2,362.98 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 3.62 points, or 0.06 percent, to 5,837.55.
The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped on Wednesday as energy stocks suffered their worst drop in nearly six months.
The energy sector .SPNY, slumped 2.5 percent for its biggest decline since mid-September. Oil prices tumbled more than 5 percent in the wake of a much stronger-than-expected rise in U.S. inventories.
• Asian equities were mostly flat, as traders anxiously eyed U.S. crude prices which fell to $50 levels steadied after a sharp plunge overnight.
• Crude benchmarks plunged more than 5 percent during U.S. hours on Wednesday after U.S. crude inventories surged to a record high at an increase of 8.2 million barrels last week, compared with the consensus expectation for a 2 million barrels.
• Japan's Nikkei 225 was up 0.34 percent early morning, likely due to the renewed weakness in the yen against the dollar.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC
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